Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-03-02
SAVED THE CAPTAIN.
An Old Lady's Good ACT to a
Poor Family.

Poor Family.
II certainly was very provoking, al
John Bathurst said, "for an honest mar
10 chop wood for weeks in tho cold, ant
TO give his own and his hired mans ant
his teams time to haul it up to the
house, Just to have il stolen by some
sneak of fellow, who was probably toe
lazy to work"
He talked about it several evenings al
the post-oiiicc, where he went for hi:
papers, taking care to let it be under.
stood that he'd show the thief no mercy
if he caught him. When the neighbors
dispersed on one of these evenings, and
took their several ways home from the
post-oflicc, one or two passed by little
cottage, at the gate of which stood a
tall, so!dierly-looking man. They
nodded to him, as is the custom in the
country, although they were not ac-
Some time before, he had come to the
ne ghborhood and taken up his resi-
dence in the cottage, which, with few
ares of land, had been left by an old
uncle of his. At that time they had
learned that he was an Englishman,
who had formerly been a Captain in the
army. His wife and little daughter
bad come with him, but neither the
farmers nor their families had ever had
any save the most formal intercourse
with them. Squire Saunders and two
or three of the leading men had shown
disposition 10 be friendly with him,
but although he had received their adj
vances with civility, this was of such a
cod nature that he was left severely
alone by the independent little COM
munity, which had no wish to be .'looked
down upon by any man, even if he had
been Captain in the English army"
John Bathurst, especially, who had
gone into tho war corporal and had
come out Captain, felt himself ag-
grieved at the naughty bearing of the
Englshman, who had once actually adj
dressed him as my good man." soon
after his arrival at the cottage. What
Captain Gerald lived upon was a
mystery which puzzled the ncighbor-
hood. He seemed to have no connec-
ton with the outside world, with the ex-
ception of one correspondent, from
whom came monthly letters with such
regularity that it had long since been
decided by loungers at the post-oflice
that the correspondent was lawyer, and
that the letter contained remittance.
But for the last two months no letter
had come. Evidently the Captain had
not expected any, for he had not gone
to the post-olfice, and, indeed, save for
seeing him with his wife and little girl
out for daily walk, his neighbors
would have forgotten him.
urng the nutting season the new
comcrs always carried wcll-filled baskets
home from the woods, the nuts peeping
from under the red aud yellow leaves
with which the baskets were fancifully
hcaped. An irregular kind of thrift
seemed to prevail ut the cottage, for the
apples in the little orchard had every
one been picked with the elaborate care
which betokens both inexperience and
plenty of time.
The neighbors, who in passing had
not ccd the harvesting, had been greatly
amused thereat. The potatoes. planted
in the carly spring by the old uncle,
now months dead, were lifted tenderly
from the earth and transported to the
cellar with the concern of the mser for
his gold. The corn was husked and
stored away with the same solictudc,
and the few Vegetables which the we'll
tiled garden provided received the same
tender care.
.'ohn Bathust's mother, who had been
in Bloomington for two days visit TO
h.... al h. ID. -.
fal about u fortnight after the first cx-
element of the wool-stcaling.
"And you didn't meet John ut the
CornersP" her daughter-in-law had
asked after greeting her.
mo; and thought it very strange
thai Johnnie would not be ready to
meet his mother, after she had been
away for three days and two nights. /
felt go certain that he'd be at the Cor
ncrs, that made Montczuma 90 twice
into the post-oilice to make sure that he
wasn't there"
Aud tho old lady sat before the fire,
81 Il warmly wrapped in her heavy cloak
and her serviceable, though unfashiona-
Bile, furs, looking as if trife doubtful
whether she had better remove them al
pll, after this slight upon the import
nnce Of her homecoming. She had al
ways been accustomed to being treated
with the utmost Difference by her chill
tren, especially by Johnnie" whom
she most loved, but from whom she de-
mnndcd unlimited homage.
II don't see how John conld have
missed you, mother, unless he was over
nj Jacob Parsons. They've found out
who has been stealing the wood and
John and lot of them have set a trap
and arc going to wait for him tonight.
II must be that they're still talking il
over. and that's the way John came to
miss you,' Mrs. Bathurst explained,
with soothing manner.
'Humphl and who might the thiel
BE-. prayp' her mother asked--iHtercst-
ed, but not quite appcased,
"Who would you suppose, motherp''
Really, can not think ofany one in
the ncighborhood either so poor or so
mean rs TO steal. Who Is itP"
Captain Gerald. the Englishman
who"----
"Ycs. my dear, I reckon know who
tuptain Gerald is. And do you say
they propose to cntrap himP'
y full recital of the plan was then
given. Il did not meet the approval OF
Johr', mother, and she said. frankly:
al don't like that ut all. / thin:
john might take more manly
couraa 4 don't ltLo tropa ~